Bloodshot

Cade nodded, a mirthless smile flickered on across his lips. “Maybe you never really wanted to forget.” He moved closer, using an arm to brace himself against the car. Cade towered over Abaddon, “I still love you,” he reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair away from her cheek, “That one night we had together, it meant a lot to me too.” His fingers trailed down to her neck, his mark noticeably gone. He withdrew his hand, a sad expression momentarily marred his handsome features.

“If you had the opportunity to do things differently, would you?”

***

“Yes, that should be fine,” Mircea stepped back from the drawing table, a large blueprint had been unraveled before him. “This will need to be constructed quickly and quietly.”

Proctor nodded, making several small notes, “I will give Mr. Kenadera a call.”

Mircea crossed his arms in front of his chest, “Do not forget to impress upon him the urgency of this matter.”

“Yes, sir,” Proctor began to roll the blueprint back up.

Mircea reached up and placed a hand on the large man’s shoulder, “Those symbols need to be carved exactly as I have instructed.”

There had always been something about Cade that called to her. She never knew what it was and still had no clue. He seemed powerful standing mere inches from her, towering over her petite stature just a little over a foot. He placed a hand beside her head, resting his palm against the immaculate black paint of her car. He leaned towards her in a semi push-up and used his free hand to brush away a strand of hair from her face. Her breath hitched in her lungs and her heart felt like it was going to shatter when he admitted he still loved her. Would she change things if she had the opportunity? She didn’t know. Perhaps she would have changed things, or perhaps she was meant to make the decisions she already had.

“It doesn’t matter if I would do things differently, Cade. They are what they are now and I can’t take them back and I am not entirely sure I would want to. I love Mircea, Cade, reguardless of what I may feel for you.”

Without waiting for a reply, Abaddon opened the driver’s door and slid into the hugging leather seats and out of the Wolf’s grasp. She needed to back away from him. His presence had always swarmed her, making her forget that there were other people around. She could have easily lost herself in him and that scared the shit out of her. She closed the door quickly so Cade didn’t have another chance to try to keep her there longer. When the engine roared to life, the stero followed and the music was loud enough to cut off any of his protests. Thankfully she didn’t have to wait for Cade to move his bike before she left. The driveway was circular and she sped off in the opposite direction, circling around and peeling out through the gated entrance.

Uriel stood a few feet away from the Shifter, her arms folded across her stomach. She leaned almost casually against the wrought iron fence her flaming red hair waving slightly in breeze of Abaddon’s departure.

“You must be Cade.” She commented out loud, watching him whirl around. Her emerald green gaze took the Wolf in from head to toe. Abaddon certainly had some damn good taste. “I am Uriel. Abaddon’s sister, after a fashion.” She watched him move to his bike and swing a powerful leg over the sleek black Ninja. “She is going to need you in the times to come. Be vigilant and keep her safe, Cade. She is the savior of the Human race.”

______________________________________________

Peace is a lie, there is only passion.Through passion, I gain strength.Through strength, I gain power.Through power, I gain victory.Through victory, my chains are broken.The Force shall free me.

Cade watched as the red haired beauty vanished in a swirl of white mist. He looked down at his bike, the keys dangling from the ignition. “Savior of the human race,” he repeated the angel’s prediction. She had ordered him to protect Abaddon, warned him of terrible things to come. Cade had always looked out for his beloved, even when she was blissfully unaware of his presence, he had been close. Even when she had fled into Mircea’s arms, the Shifter had remained vigilant.

Cade glanced down at the pendants she had given him. He sighed, “Fucking, angels.” He leaned forward and started his bike, the engine roared to life. He flew out of the parking lot, pointing his bike toward his closed nightclub. Abaddon had left instructions for him to speak with Tank, his part time bouncer. Cade had always known that man was a little off, but until he had read her note, he hadn’t realized just how far off.

***

Thomas Kenadera, a well-known contractor and crook, stood in the middle of Mircea’s personal office “Okay, let me get this straight.” He turned, blue print in hand, to face the vampire, “You want me to build you a panic room within a week?”

“Yes, it is of the utmost importance that this project is finished expeditiously.” Mircea pointed out, “And this is not exactly your run-of-the-mill panic room.”

“Oh, I can see that,” Kenadera grumbled. He looked down at the plans once more, his client had been very specific, spelling out every detail - down to the strange symbols that were to be carved into the walls, floors and ceilings. “Can I ask what these mean?” Kenadera pointed to the swirling characters Mircea had included in the building plans.

“No,” Mircea rose from his chair and pulled an overstuffed envelope from his desk drawer, “I am paying you triple your regular price, and I was assured that the questions would be kept to a minimum. I was also assured that you could do the work, down to the very last detail, within one week’s time.” The vampire smacked the fat envelope against his opened hand, “I was assured this wouldn’t be a problem. That pretty little receptionist - you know, the one that you’ve been sleeping with - was very insistent that you were the man for the job.”

Kenadera colored slightly.

Mircea’s eyebrows slowly lifted. He waved the envelope in front of Kenadera’s face.

“Fine,” the construction manager snatched the payment from his client’s hand, “You’ll have your panic room in a week.”

The past week had drifted by slowly and Abaddon had found herself nearly going stir crazy. She had meditated, sparred with Proctor and researched as much as possible about the recent string of Demonic attacks, but she found herself at a dead end. It seemed that things had grown quiet, almost too quiet. There was an anxious feeling, a sense of unease that grew stronger as the days passed. She was sitting in the library, flipping through a few of the reports that the Bloodstone Court had given her reguarding other Demonic attacks throughout the City. The small stack of black file folders was stamped with the Court’s insignia. Each report was accompanied by a series of photographs that documented any physical evidence. Claw marks, bite marks and scorch marks from spontansour fire out breaks. The activity was certainly escalating. There were similiar similarities between the incidents but Abaddon knew they were dealing with more than one Demon. It wasn’t an uncommon occurance for Demonic beings to work together but it usually resulted in a betrayal in the end.

The shrill ring of her cell phone broke Abaddon’s concentration.

“Abaddon.” She answered the call with a quick reply.

“Abaddon, it’s Shang-Xi.” The voice over the other end of the phone replied. Shang-Xi was one of the higher ups for the Bloodstone Court. Mircea may have ran the Court, but Shang-Xi was his boss so to speak.

“A pleasure to hear from you Master Xi.”

There was an audible sigh. “It won’t be when you find out why I have called. There’s been another attack. This one fresh.”

“How fresh?” Her tone of voice instantly switched to her detective mode. Mircea had been right. She was certainly a damn good detective.

“Not even an hour old. The City police have not been called on this one. We kept them out of it so that you would have the first shot at the scene.”

“Where is it?” She inquired, grabbing a small pad and pen to write down the address of some warehouse in one of the more seedy districts of the City proper. “I’ll head out now.”

“Happy hunting, Abaddon.” Shang-Xi hung up before she could make a comment.

She had left a note for Mircea. The past week he had been busy, renovating one of the guest rooms into an office for her official Bloodcourt Police use. She hadn’t gotten her badge yet, but the Court had given her permission to use whatever means necessary to stop these attacks on the preternatural community. They even told her she was allowed to pick a team of specialists to use. Abaddon hadn’t contacted anyone yet, but she had made a list of names of certain individuals that she wanted. Tank was one of them. His knowledge of Wards would certainly come in handy if they had to trap a Demon. Strangely, she had put Cade’s name down as well. He was a Shifter and therefore faster, stronger and had higher senses than most of the other supernatural beasties out there. As she had expected, Mircea wasn’t entirely happy that she had named Cade in her list, but he had understood her reasoning.

Abaddon had left the note on Mircea’s desk. It was usual for her to leave notes when she left the house, letting him know where she was going. If she was running late, he was only a phone call away. Her Mercedes she had left parked in the driveway the night before and it was still where she had left it. Thankfully Proctor had left it there rather than returning it to the garage as was his habit. Maybe she was finally breaking him out of it. Within minutes, Abaddon shot down the driveway, heading for the address of the crime scene.

The shadows grew thicker on Route 23, The trees seemed to almost sway as if they had life of their own. It was eerie, and certainly creepy. The LED highbeams of Abaddon’s care sliced through most of the darkness with a startling brightness. Suddnely, in the path before her in the dead center of the road was a solid black mass.

“Shit!” Abaddon nearly screamed, slamming on the brakes. She turned the wheel sharply to the right in hopes of avoiding the mass. She heard a very loud growl, followed by a deafening screech of twisting metal. There was the destinctive smell of something burning as the creatures claws sliced her car nearly in half from the front of the vehicle to the back. The Mercedes came to a stop just at the edge of the ten foot drop.

Thinking quickly, she pulled her gun from it’s holster as she attempted to yank off her seat belt. Before she could sight the mass, it was by her side of the vehicle. It had to be at least nine feet tall. The eyes glowed orange in the thick darkness that made up it’s body. At the end of it’s long black arms were sharp talon like claws that it used to grip the underside of the Mercedes.

“Die.” It growled audibly, tipping the car over those last few inches and over the edge.

Last edited by Abaddon on December 6th 2013, 10:41 am; edited 3 times in total

The nightmare had been so vivid; the terrifying image of her bloodied face forever etched itself in his mind’s eye. The mangled wreckage resembled Abaddon’s black Mercedes, smoke billowing from the ruined car. Cade shivered atop his bike as he rumbled down the deserted road. Route 23 led out of the City, running through countless dense forests and alongside several steep drop offs. It could be a difficult stretch of highway to traverse if one was unfamiliar with the area.

The dream, the one where Abaddon was killed, had woken him up every night that week. Every time, his heart pounded so rapidly inside of his chest. Last night had been no different, he awoke with a start, chest aching, and mouth dry. Cade felt as though he was going crazy, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that Abaddon was in trouble. After all, the angel had warned him to keep an eye on her - protect her.

Cade picked up speed, the inky haze was starting to lift. It was odd. One minute, skies had been clear and his visibility had been unobstructed, but the weather suddenly changed, a dark mist had settled over the lonely stretch of road, blanketing everything in an unnerving fog.

Another mile or so down the road was a sharp turn. The road butted up against a steep drop off; signs along the road warned drivers of the approaching hazard. Cade cautiously slowed his bike, finally breaking free of the dissipating fog.

“No, no, no,” he mumbled. An ashy smoke was billowing up from the other side of the road. He couldn’t see what was causing the acrid vapor, but he knew it was her car. It was just like the nightmare. As he pulled his bike along side the road, Cade silently prayed that he wasn’t too late.

***

Mircea sighed, placing Abaddon’s note onto his desk. The vampire, an arm hooked behind his back, stared listlessly at the crackling fire. She had been distant the last week, barely acknowledging him when they had crossed paths. Something was weighing heavily on her mind, but she had seemed reluctant to share with him, or perhaps she had tried, only to find him preoccupied with the grimoire and the construction of his panic room. He had been secretive, unreachable, during the week as well. Mircea sniffed, deciding that he would need to make it up to her as soon as she had returned home. His petty rivalry with Cade had also put a damper on his relationship with Abaddon. She cared the for dog despite their checkered past, and Mircea was just going to have to deal with that.

He paused, his thoughts suddenly interrupted by the lack of noise coming from the adjacent room. He had paid Kenadera another ten thousand to work through the night in order to finish what he had started. Mircea glanced at his watch, they couldn’t possibly be finished already.

The vampire reluctantly left his office, and walked the short distance to the guest room, “Finished already, Thomas?” He pushed the door open and stopped. His hand instinctively reached for his gun.

The room was covered in red; the walls, floors, and even the ceilings had dreadful smears of human blood all over them. Why he hadn’t smelled it before baffled him. The vampire, a revolver in hand, slowly stepped further into the room. The entire crew - more appropriately what was left of the entire crew - had been painted over the bedroom. Blood, sinew, and even brain matter had been splattered everywhere.

There was a muffed noise behind him; Mircea spun around, gun at the ready, “Proctor.” He sounded relieved, lowering his weapon.

Proctor smiled, a queer little smirk, “Guess again, Mircea.” Proctor’s eyes rolled into the back of his head, “The name is Astaroth.” A beefy hand shot out, driving a large hollowed out metal rod into Mircea’s chest.

He cried out and fired his weapon. Proctor stumbled backwards, the bullet tearing a massive hole though his abdomen.

“Fuck,” the daemon growled, “You ruined this meat sack.” He brushed at the bloodied shirt, “And I liked this one.”

Mircea dropped to his knees, struggling to breathe. He looked down at his chest, a bewildered expression on his face. A rounded piece of metal piping stuck out of his body; a steady stream of blood flowed through it, splashing against the polished wood floor. He could feel his ruined heart slow to a thready beat as his life force leaked from him. He lamely pulled at the rod, but he was already too weak.

“Just let it happen, sweet Mircea,” Astaroth knelt down in front of the vampire, “Just let death take you.” He reached out and ran his fingers through Mircea’s hair, “You’ve wanted this for centuries, haven’t you?” He smiled, revealing a row of perfectly white teeth. Astaroth grasped the metal rod and twisted it, driving it completely through Mircea’s heart, “I was hoping to catch Abaddon here as well.” He laughed, “Oh well, with you out of the way, she’ll be easy enough to find - you know, fucking that Shifter.”

The vampire gurgled once, feebly lashing out at the daemon before finally collapsing into a bloody heap.

“Abaddon!” Cade called her name from the roadside. The car was a mangled mess, just like how he had seen it in the nightmare. His heart was pounding, threatening to bust through his aching chest. The wolf tore his coat off and sat down at the edge of the drop off. Using his powerful claws, Cade slipped over the side and easily dropped down to where the ruined Mercedes had landed. He climbed atop the smoking wreck and began to tear at the twisted metal. He peeled back what had once been part of the roof and peered inside.

“You’re going to be okay, I’m here,” he could see her, crumpled up, her face bloodied. “Hold on,” he begged, pulling at the wreckage with such fury he failed to notice his one bloodied hands. His eyes changed, his teeth and nails lengthened as he continued to force the hole bigger and bigger. Finally, he had gained entry to Abaddon and he swiftly pulled her from the smoldering wreck.

He dragged her for several yards until he was sure they were a safe distance from the car. He gently laid her on the ground, “Can you hear me?” He checked her vitals, she was still alive, but just barely.

Cade quickly tore his shirt off and wrapped it around her head to stop the profuse bleeding. She was covered, from head to toe, in red. Cade wasn’t sure which area needed the most attention, and so he held her hand, “You’re going to be fine. You have to be,” He whispered, pulling his cellphone from his jeans.

Funny, those words shouldn’t be in her dream. Pushing aside the confusion, she continued to float, soaring up to the stars.

“Move her. Now!”

That voice again, but she could see the white light in the distance. It was fading now, growing weak and she knew she wasn’t going to make it.

Darkness decended rapidly and she came back into herself with a start, a burning jolt in her chest. She screamed wordlessly, nearly bolting upright but there was pressure holding her down. Her arms and legs wouldn’t budge and it only made her right harder against whatever it was holding her down.

“Hold her down, damnit!”

The voice from her dream.

“She already lost the baby, we don’t want to loose her too!”

The baby? What baby? Somethin jabbed into her left arm. There was a tingle that worked its way into her veins, slowly spreading to her limbs. Little by little her body relaxed and she felt herself finally succumb to the darkness.

Cade sighed, hanging up his phone. He had been trying to get a hold of Mircea, but to no avail. Even the manservant, Proctor, had ignored his calls. He slipped his phone back into his pants pocket; he’d try again in a few minutes.

Cade nervously paced the ER’s waiting room, uncomfortable in the stiff white t-shirt one of the nurses had given him to wear. He glanced down at his watch; he had been waiting nearly two hours and there was still no word from the doctor. Abaddon had been so severely injured that they had rushed her through the swinging doors so quickly he hadn’t had time to kiss her goodbye. He would get another chance, Cade continued to remind himself. She was going to be all right.

“Mr. Davinyoung?”

Cade spun around, “Yes? That’s me.” He quickly pushed through the crowd of sick people, all waiting for their turn.

“Um… Mr. Davinyoung,” the attending physician flipped through a stack of papers, “This is your wife?”

Cade hesitated, “Abaddon?”

The doctor nodded, waiting for an answer.

Cade, fearing he’d be turned away if it were revealed that he had no connection to Abaddon, quickly responded, “Yes, she is my wife.”

The doctor sighed and held the clipboard against his chest, “Follow me, please.” He pointed toward a quiet corner of the room, “Over here, please, where we won’t be disturbed.”

***

She felt so warm against his skin. Cade clasped her limp hand, gently squeezing, “Abaddon?” He whispered. Another hour had passed, and there was still no sign of Mircea. He had called dozens of times, left messages, and had even asked a friend to stop by the mansion. Still nothing.

Cade checked his phone, a new message blinked on the screen.

No one answered the door.

Cade shook his head, where was the bastard? The woman he supposedly loved had been critically injured, but he couldn’t be bothered to visit her. He slipped the phone out of sight.

“I’m so sorry about the baby,” he whispered. The soft beeping of the hospital equipment nearly drowned out his voice, “I wish I had gotten there sooner.” Cade, pressing his forehead against the back of her hand, closed his eyes and prayed.

She could smell Cade’s familiar cologne and it offered her a sense of comfort when her entire body was a twisting mass of pain. Something almost feverishly warm was holding her hand. When she opened her eyes, the light was virtually blinding. A bright constant stream of endless white that was already giving her one hell of a headache. Abaddon wanted to roll over and bury herself into the warmpth at her side, but she couldn’t move. Turning her head to the side, she noticed that her other arm was strapped to a board and covered with all sorts of tubes. She turned her head to the other side and saw Cade sitting in a chair beside the bed with his head bowed in what appeared to be prayer.

“How long have I been uncouncious?” She asked, her voice raw and husky, feeling alot like sand paper.

“Jesus. You scared the hell out of me Abaddon.” Cade lifted his head and she could see the faint glimmer of old tears glittering in his thick eye lashes. "Only a few hours."

“Scared the hell out of myself.” She replied with a faint smile in hopes of breaking the tension within the room. She always hated hospitals. They made her feel like she was some kind of experiment. “How’s the baby?” Abaddon watched as his face fell, his expression turning utterly dark, grief stricken. “Cade, what happened to the baby?” Her voice began to rise as sheer panic began to set in.

“I-I’m sorry Abaddon, but the baby didn’t survive the crash.”

For a moment, it felt as if her heart had stopped. Her free hand slipped from Cade’s grasp and moved down to her abdomen.

“No.” She said softly. “No.” Her voice began to rise until she was shouting. “No, no, no, no!” It ended in a wordless scream that echoed off the walls of her room. A couple of the nurses on duty ran into the room only to back out a moment later when Cade began to slowly shake his head.

She felt the bed move as he climbed onto it with her, pulling her shaking form into his arms and holding her as tight as he could without causing her any more pain. His heart was breaking for her, his feelings shoved aside in Abaddon’s moment of grief and agony.

“Where’s Mircea?” She inquired once her sobbing had subsided. She felt empty, nearly void of any emotion and yet a deep rage was setting in.

“No one has been able to get a hold of him.”

Abaddon frowned. That wasn’t like him at all. He normally would have always answered his cell phone.

He had been reluctant to leave her side, but Abaddon had insisted. Despite her life threatening wounds, and despite the tragic loss of her child, she had begged him to visit the mansion. She was worried about Mircea, a man who apparently couldn’t even be bothered to visit her in the hospital. Cade had refused, at first, imploring her to rest, but she had been relentless. He had eventually given in.

With a heavy heart, Cade dismounted the bike, staring up at the darkened windows. The mansion looked desolate and lacked any sign of life. The Shifter pulled his jacket tightly around his shoulders, there was an odd chill in the air. The silence surrounding the sprawling estate was unnerving; he knew something was indeed wrong.

Cade jogged up the front steps, the thud of his boots echoed loudly as he approached the front door. He pounded on the solid wood, his hand balled into a fist.

“Mircea!” he bellowed, quickly losing patience. He stepped back and listened intently. Cade couldn’t hear anything on the other side of the door, and so he stepped forward, pounding both fists against the splintering wood.

“You fucking prick!” he called out, “Answer the goddamn door!” Still no response.

Frustrated and eager to return to Abaddon’s side, Cade moved back to the very edge of the steps. Taking a running start, he leapt into the air and smashed both feet against the door. The wood splintered and the heavy door buckled under the pressure. Cade twisted in the air and landed on all fours, “Shit.” He jumped back up and assessed the damage. His kick had broken the lock and dislodged the handle, and he easily gained access to the mansion, nudging the door open with his shoulder.

***

Mircea was obviously dead, his dark eyes completely glazed over, staring into the distance. Cade sighed, gently closing the vampire’s eyes. “I’m sorry,” he whispered before standing upright. The room was a complete disaster, blood and body parts splattered everywhere. He moved silently through the mess, careful to avoid touching anything. A small portion of the back wall was missing, and judging by the concentration of blood, the majority of the workers had been trying to retreat through the opening.

Cade gingerly stepped through the swirls of blood and peered through the wall, “Oh no.”

Cade stepped over the threshold and into what appeared to be a nursery. The walls had been freshly painted several different pastel colors, strange symbols had been carved into the walls, ceilings, and the floor. Some symbols were obvious while others had been cleverly hidden amongst the decor. His boots were silent on the plush carpeting, he slowly walked around the hidden room. Mircea had gone to great lengths to have this nursery built, crazy symbols and all.

Cade moved passed the crib and paused. A dusty box had been crammed behind it. He knelt and pulled the box free, dragging it into the open.

“Shh!”

Cade jumped to his feet and spun around, a young man, perhaps only twenty years old, crawled out from behind the changing table.

Cade seized the man and slammed him against a nearby wall, “What happened here?” His eyes intensified.

The young man began to sob, “He’s still here!” He pointed toward the doorway, “He’s waiting just out there!”

Cade looked over his shoulder, “Who?” No one was there, “Who is waiting?”

The young man, his eyes wide with terror, whispered, “The Devil!”

Cade lowered him to the floor, “I didn’t see anyone when I came in. I think he’s gone.”

Vigorously shaking his head, the young man pointed toward the dusty box Cade had discovered, “He’s still here. He wanted me to bring him that.”

Cade looked down, “Why doesn’t he just come in here and get it?”

“I don’t know. He just can’t come in here.”

There was a sudden flurry of movement at the doorway, Cade spun around, “Shit, Proctor, you scared me.” The hulking manservant shrugged his wide shoulders and motioned for Cade and the young man to follow him. “Come on, kid,” Cade mumbled to the trembling man. He stooped and hoisted the dusty box into his arms.

“It’s him,” the man choked on his words, the front of his pants darkened as a fresh stream of urine ran down his legs.

Cade slowly turned, Proctor motioned again - a peculiar smile on his lips.

“Why don’t you come in here and help me with this guy?” Cade felt his heart quicken.

“They’re not going anywhere with you, Demon.” There was a bright flash of white as Uriel materialized behind Proctor, her bright white wings blazing in full glory. Her hand clasped heavily on the man’s shoulder. There was a crunch of glass as the holy water vial that had been held within her hand shattered against Proctor. There was a loud scream that echoed with the Demon’s voice hidden deep within the man servant’s. “I cast you out, Astaroth. In the name of God begone from this man. Begone from this house and bother Humanity no more.”

“You will die, just like Abaddon!” The Demon hissed.

“Keep up with current events, Astaroth. Abaddon is alive.” Uriel replied, shoving a pure silver crucifix against Proctor’s forehead. The Demon screamed in agony, releasing it’s hold on the Human. He couldn’t maintain his control over the body while in a blessed house for too long. Proctor sank to the floor heavily, supporting himself on his hands and knees as he vomited a thick black oily mass onto the floor just as Cade had done weeks prior. Once all traces of Astaroth were gone, Uriel poked her head into the room making sure she was careful not to pass the threshold.

“Cade?” She inquired, her blazing green eyes locking onto the Wolf’s face. “We need to get back to Abaddon. If Astaroth finds her in the state she is in now, it may very well be the end.”

Uriel, in a brilliant flash of white, disappeared into thin air, leaving Cade and the young construction worker alone in the mansion. The Shifter glanced at his unwitting companion, the man visibly shaken by his ordeal, “Get out of here, now.” His voice was steady despite the panic welling up inside of him. Cade waited as the stranger bolted out of the room, nearly tripping over Proctor’s lifeless body.

Cade dropped the box and swiftly approached the fallen manservant. Kneeling, he rolled Proctor over, revealing a nasty bullet wound in his abdomen. “Shit,” Cade mumbled. Proctor was gone, probably dead long before the daemon had been exercised - his corpse animated by pure evil.

***

“What are you doing?” Abaddon’s voice was weak, but she was alert.

Cade, his hair mussed and boots splattered with dried blood, frantically moved along the walls. His eyes were wild, “It’s all right, just rest.” He dug the blade of his pocket knife into the plaster, carving an archaic symbol into the hospital room’s wall. He clutched the grimoire in one hand, frequently consulting the tattered pages. He moved to the last wall, stabbing the blade deep.

“What the hell is going on in here?” a nurse entered, the metal tray slipped from her fingers, clattering against the polished linoleum. She moved quickly, her body a blur. Cade yelped as she dug her nails into his throat, tearing him away from his frantic work. The nurse flung him across the room, his body slamming against the opposite wall.

“Hello, sister,” the nurse smiled at Abaddon, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. “Do you remember me?” Astaroth stalked closer, pulling a razor sharp scalpel from the uniform’s front pocket. “You’re looking a bit under the weather, dear.”

Astaroth stood at the bed’s side, the lethal blade glimmering in the fluorescent lighting, “Last time we chatted, we were so rudely interrupted.” He seemed mesmerized by the blade, “Small, isn’t it?” He sliced at the air in front of her face, “But so very precise.” The possessed nurse smiled gleefully, “I’m going to use this to cut your heart out. Slowly.”

There was a flurry of movement.

“No! Bad dog!” Astaroth stepped back; the nurse lashed out, trying to stop Cade, but the Shifter was too quick. He threw himself against the wall and stabbed his knife into the plaster, dragging it downward - finishing the symbol.

The nurse let out a terrible screech, throwing back her head. A mass of black oil spurted from her lips and splashed against the ceiling. Cade slid to the floor, chest heaving. He watched as Astaroth’s dark spirit disappeared, seeping up through the ceiling.

She watched Cade frantically carve those familiar ancient symbols into the hospital room walls. He was covered in dried blood, his normally perfect hair in disarray. There was an urgency to his movements that made her want to jump up and scream at him, to demand what was going on, but deep down she already knew. Her suspicions were confirmed when the nurse came into the room. The air grew thicker, making it harder to breathe. The nurses’ eyes rolled back into her head and began to glow an eerie bright shade of orange.

“Astaroth.” Abaddon said softly, knowing that it was one of his minions who had caused her car to flip over the edge. And it was this very Demon before her who had caused the death of her lover Mircea as well as the death of their unborn baby. Mircea had sacraficed himself to save not only her and their baby, but also the City and quite possibly even the world. She knew that his soul would not be going to Hell. It would go to Heaven and would not be redeemable. In other words, Abaddon would not be able to return his soul to the land of the living but when her time came to return to His grace, she would see Mircea again.

Before Abaddon could respond to the Demon’s threats however, Cade finished the last symbol. The nurse screamed, pitching backwards and spewing forth that tell-tale black mass of oil that was Astaroth’s spiritual form. Once the room was quiet and the nurse was placed into the bed in which she had occupied, she knew that they had to get out of that hospital. To find someplace safe until they could regroup. Abaddon only needed another twenty four hours to be fully healed of her injuries and then, Hell and it’s Demons were going to pay.